FAQs for Faculty & Staff

The Carleton Community Covenant—which all students, faculty, and staff who are living, learning or working on campus are required to sign—establishes clear behavior expectations for those on campus.

Carleton’s outdoor masking and physical distancing expectations were revised on May 14, 2021, and are not reflected in the covenant.

All students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus are required to wear a mask that covers both their nose and mouth at all times indoors while in public spaces and when in the presence of others with whom you don’t share a living space. You are also required to wear a mask outside when you are in a large group (more than 30 people) or event.

You do not need to wear a mask when you are in your private office by yourself or with others with whom you live. You may also remove your mask when eating or toothbrushing. You do not need to wear a mask outside if you are by yourself or in a small group (30 or fewer people).

Correct and consistent mask use is a critical step everyone can take to reduce their risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Masks work best when everyone wears them, but not all masks provide the same protection. How well a mask fits, how well it filters the air, and how many layers it has are all important to consider when choosing which mask to wear. The CDC offers tips on improving the fit and filtration of your mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Masks should be cloth and must not feature a vent. Neck gaiters and bandanas are not considered acceptable mask options. You should keep your face masks laundered and clean.

Employees, including student workers, may obtain a mask by visiting the Office of Human Resources, located in Strong House, or emailing hr@carleton.edu.

If, for medical reasons, you cannot wear a mask, please contact Human Resources. 

Yes. Faculty, staff, and students who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 should complete the COVID Vaccine Documentation form to notify the College of their vaccination. You should do this after receiving your first dose. Once you complete the form, someone will be in touch with you to request that you submit documentation to verify the information you submit. Please be prepared to email a scan/image of your vaccination card.

Compounding the COVID-19 pandemic with an influenza outbreak on Carleton’s campus could place the community’s health and safety at risk, decrease the likelihood that the 2021 academic year is completed in-person, and stress local medical resources.

As an additional measure to help keep our community safe, all students and employees who will be on-campus during the 2021 academic year are required to receive a seasonal flu vaccine by Oct. 1, 2020. We held on-campus vaccination clinics during the month of September. Employees received their vaccination elsewhere can upload proof of their vaccination using the Employer Notification of Influenza Vaccination form. Employees may receive any FDA-approved, licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine (IIV, RIV4, or LAIV4) with no preference for any one vaccine over another. This includes both the flu shot and mist.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommend that everyone over the age of 6 months receive a seasonal flu vaccine every year.

Employees can use the Accommodation Request Form to request a medical or religious accommodation regarding the seasonal influenza vaccination requirement.

Additional information regarding flu vaccines:

CDC- Seasonal Flu Shot

CDC- Misconceptions about Seasonal Flu and Flu Vaccines

MDH- Influenza

Mayo Clinic- Flu Shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza

Visit https://go.carleton.edu/mySHAC to locate the daily symptom tracker. Please follow these instructions to accurately fill out the daily symptom tracker.

No; the CDC does not recommend face shields as a substitute for face masks because they don’t protect others from the respiratory droplets of the wearer as well as masks do. A face shield can be worn in addition to a face mask, as added protection for your eyes. At Carleton, we chose to purchase dust-tight wrap-around safety glasses for those who would like additional eye protection. Safety glasses are easier to see through and easier to transport than face shields. Please contact covid@carleton.edu if you or your students need additional eye protection.

Yes. Carleton has introduced a temporary Voluntary Furlough and FTE Reductions program to provide employees flexibility in their work schedules while keeping benefits in place. The Program also benefits the College’s financial position during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Applications received will be reviewed by Human Resources and the employee’s supervisor and divisional vice president. Although there are no guarantees, we will make every attempt to approve requests. See more information on the Voluntary Furlough / FTE Reduction FAQ.

Common spaces on campus include spaces that are not private offices or residential living quarters. Examples include academic department offices, Sayles Great Space, Anderson Hall’s Daugherty Atrium, the Weitz Center Commons, Gould Library, and Skinner Chapel.

Physical distancing is a powerful public health tool. Departments should be working to implement several physical distancing strategies, such as:

• Staff rotation: For offices that require an on-campus presence, we recommend staggering in-office and remote staff so those on campus can keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet from others. This will reduce the number of employees on campus and help limit potential exposure for those who must report to campus.
• Essential meetings: Plan to use remote tools, such as Zoom or Google Meet, in place of in-person meetings.
• State guidelines: While on campus, be aware of and practice strategies from the Minnesota Department of Health to slow the spread of COVID-19.

As outlined in the Remote Work Agreement, employees working remotely are expected to:   

• Notify manger and coworkers of any temporary change in the posted remote work schedule
• Be available to manager and coworkers by telephone and email during core hours
• Return calls and emails in a timely manner
• Fulfill required communication (such as daily contact) with manager
• Forward office calls to the remote site
• Meet additional expectations which may be set by supervisors

Both ITS and Human Resources have tips, tools, best practices, and professional development resources on working remotely. New information is regularly added.

New employees are expected to follow the same steps as current employees regarding COVID-19 precautions. Human Resources will share this information with new employees before they arrive to campus.

Yes. Faculty, staff, and students who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 should complete the COVID Vaccine Documentation form to notify the College of their vaccination. You should do this after receiving your first dose. Once you complete the form, someone will be in touch with you to request that you submit documentation to verify the information you submit. Please be prepared to email a scan/image of your vaccination card.

Students, faculty and staff who have submitted documentation showing that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer be in the pool for weekly surveillance testing on campus. Fully vaccinated individuals maybe tested for other reasons—such as exposure to a known positive case, returning from overnight travel or exhibiting symptoms of the virus—and are required to participate when called upon.

No. None of the currently authorized and recommended vaccines in the United States can cause you to test positive on viral tests (PCR and Antigen), which are used to determine if you have a current infection. You could test positive for COVID-19 antibodies on an antibody test, which shows if you have built up some immunity to the virus.

Yes. All members of our on-campus community are subject to the same expectations regarding mask-wearing, physical distancing, limiting close contacts, and self-monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19.

You will NOT need to quarantine if both of the following are true:

• It has been at least 14 days since you completed the full vaccination (2 doses of Moderna or Pfizer; 1 dose of Johnson and Johnson)
• You are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19

If either of the above are not true, you will still need to quarantine.

We have continued our Winter Term surveillance testing regimen to test 600 individuals per week. This represents nearly 30% of our on-campus population of students, faculty, and staff. The tests are administered by Homeland Health and analyzed by a lab at the University of Minnesota, with results available within 24 hours.

As of May 4, students, faculty and staff who have submitted documentation showing that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer in the pool for weekly surveillance testing on campus. We are continuing to conduct surveillance testing on 600 members of our community each week, acknowledging that this number will decrease as more people become fully vaccinated.

The College is recommending that students, faculty, and staff install the COVIDaware MN app on their phones to help create a safer community at Carleton. If you choose to install this tool, the app will notify you if you have been near someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Likewise, if you test positive, the app anonymously notifies anyone you’ve been within six feet of for 15 minutes or more during your infectious period. 

Widespread use of the COVIDAware MN app would provide an extra layer of information about potential exposure for those traveling back to campus or who travel off campus during the term. It may also prove helpful for contact tracing in situations where one’s ability to judge distances or recall how long a specific interaction lasted is not particularly accurate.  

COVIDaware does not collect any personal information or track your location. The app was made available by the State of Minnesota, in partnership with PathCheck Foundation. It uses your phone’s Bluetooth signal to exchange anonymous tokens through exposure notification technology developed by Apple and Google. You can learn more about COVIDaware MN online, and download it from the Google Play or Apple App Store.   

If you have received a positive COVID-19 test, please share that information with the college using this form. Once your test timing and result have been verified, you will be removed from the surveillance testing pool for 90 days.

If at any time you believe you are a close contact of a positive case of COVID-19 on campus, please call the contact tracing team at (507) 222-5119.

We use the CDC’s definition of a close contact, which is any individual who has spent 15 cumulative minutes or more over the course of 24 hours within 6 feet of the infected person. All unvaccinated close contacts of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be contacted and quarantined. For students living in townhouses or interest houses, all unvaccinated residents of the house will be quarantined in the event of one resident’s positive test.

A close contact also may be someone who had direct physical contact with a positive case, shared eating or drinking utensils with a positive case, provided care in the same residence to someone who is sick with COVID-19, or who had direct contact with infected respiratory droplets through sneezing or coughing. Because campus spaces like classrooms and dining halls have been set up with physical distancing in place, we don’t expect full classrooms to require quarantine in the event of an illness.

If at any time you believe you are a close contact of a positive case of COVID-19 on campus, please call the contact tracing team at (507) 222-5119.

For return-to-campus and surveillance testing, we are using a PCR test, which is administered via nasal swab by a health care professional. We also have access to rapid tests and saliva tests, which we use to meet other testing needs.

When a member of our campus community tests positive for COVID-19, we work with the Minnesota Department of Health to carry out tracing for close contacts both on and off campus. Affected students follow quarantine and isolation protocols within campus residences that have been reserved for this purpose. Students in quarantine or isolation have a designated case manager, receive meals in their residence, take their classes online, and have their health and wellbeing actively monitored by a member of our professional Student Health and Counseling staff. Those living in townhomes and interest houses are considered family units and will quarantine together in the event that a house member is exposed to COVID-19. Affected faculty and staff follow quarantine and isolation protocols at home.

According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever (100.4° F or higher) or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. 

You should remain at home, fill out the daily symptom tracker and contact your healthcare provider. Your healthcare professional will work with the Minnesota Department of Health to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.

Even if you don’t suspect coronavirus, particularly now, you should stay home if you have a cough, sore throat or fever. Report the illness and subsequent absence to your direct supervisor.

Physical distancing is the act of limiting your interactions with others. It includes not shaking hands, avoiding crowds, standing 6 feet from others, working remotely when possible, and staying home if you feel sick.

Self-quarantine is for people who may have been exposed to COVID-19. You should self-quarantine if you have been in contact with a known or suspected case of COVID-19.

Self-isolation is for people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been confirmed to have the virus. During self-isolation, you should stay home, avoid contact with others, and closely monitor your health.

If you have been sick with respiratory symptoms or fever, you should self-isolate for 10 days after the onset of your illness. You can stop self-isolating after that 10-day period as long as you have been fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of medication) and your symptoms have improved.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health are the most up-to-date sources of information on the coronavirus outbreak.

Yes, in all cases. VPN is Carleton’s secure way of effectively “wrapping” your off-campus network connection in a Carleton blanket, so to speak. It encrypts your network traffic, which protects all Carleton data and login credentials no matter where you are. There is a short installation process, and after that you simply turn it on or off.

When you are using the VPN, your computer is essentially on the Carleton network, much as if you were in your office. It is an easy-to-use solution that will give you, among other things, access to your network drives and library database resources. You can also use it to provide security when using non-secure networks, such as WiFi at home, in coffee shops, or libraries.

Printers are too delicate to be moved easily.  If you need to print from home, you can either send the job to a person in your office who is working on campus and have them print it for you, or you can print remotely using Webprint.

No. Employees are responsible for providing internet service at the remote work location.

It is expected that office calls will be forwarded to the remote site. If you don’t have a home phone, you should forward calls to your cell phone. Calls only need to be forwarded during regular office hours.

You are not required to share your personal cell phone number with callers. Callers should be directed to dial your office number. When returning calls using your personal phone, you can dial *67 prior to dialing the number to block caller ID. If needed, you can work a few hours each day from the office to return calls.

For those covered by Carleton’s health insurance plan, the coronavirus screening test will be covered at no out-of-pocket-cost for all employees and dependents. If you have other coverage, please contact your provider.

Testing at Carleton is free for all eligible employees.

Employees who suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19 must stay home, practice physical distancing, and closely monitor their health. Employees may be able to work remotely during this time. Regular, benefits-eligible employees can use accrue leaves (sick, vacation, floating holidays) to cover any missed work hours. We ask employees to report their self-quarantine using the symptom tracker.

Employees who become ill with COVID-19 must stay home. Employees may be able to work remotely during this time, depending on the severity of their symptoms. There is no expectation of work while ill. Regular, benefits-eligible employees can use accrue leaves (sick, vacation, floating holidays) to cover any missed work hours. We ask employees to report their COVID-19 illness using the symptom tracker.

Employees should report their COVID-19 related absence following the regular procedures for reporting standard sick time.

Employees should stay home if a household member has developed symptoms of COVID-19. Employees may be able to work remotely during this time. Due to the proximity, the employee should assume they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and monitor their own symptoms. Regular, benefits-eligible employees can use accrue leaves (sick, vacation, floating holidays) to cover any missed work hours related to their own or a household member’s COVID-19 quarantine or illness.

Temporarily, some employees will be allowed work remotely while caring for their children. If remote work is not feasible, employees can use accrued vacation or floating holidays to care for their children if they lose childcare for a reason directly related to COVID-19. This includes absences due to K-12 school closings. Additionally, some employees may be able to adjust their work hours or take a temporary leave of absence. Please contact Human Resources for additional information.

With a number of childcare closings, you may be unable to spend FSA funds as initially intended. While there is no new or altered IRS guidance related to changes in FSA regulations as a result of COVID-19, you may be able to modify your pre-tax election to support your needs at this time. Examples include:

• Suspend your election: If your daycare has closed and is not billing you for services, you may consider suspending your election. Should you choose to do this, you may re-elect once your daycare services resume.
• Modify your election:
  • You may increase or decrease your election if your daycare provider has adjusted their fee schedule during this time.
  • If a child is switched from a paid provider to “free care” (i.e. neighbor or relative) or no care. An election change should be permissible whenever there is a change in provider.
• Add an election: Should your family needs require that you seek new provider services that have a cost, you may add an election. For example, you could consider hiring a babysitter to care for your children while you are working in your home. This will qualify so long as the babysitter is over the age of 19 and is not your spouse, the parent of the child, or anyone you can claim as a dependent on your tax returns.

Please visit optumbank.com for the latest developments and up-to-date information on regulation changes related to health care spending and savings accounts.

Whenever possible, employees with documented high-risk health conditions will be given the opportunity to work from home temporarily. For those who cannot perform their work from home, Human Resources will work with them and their supervisors to evaluate the request and explore accommodations. Employees can request an accommodation using this form.

• Stay at home if you are sick (with any illness, but especially if you are experiencing respiratory symptoms, fever, etc.);
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose;
• Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands;
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; and
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

We recognize this can be a very stressful time. The Employee Assistance Program is available to all employees by calling 1-866-326-7194 or visiting hpeap.com and entering “Carleton College.”

We recommend teleconferencing or video conferencing using Zoom or Google Hangouts in favor of in-person meetings. For events and gatherings that do occur in person:

• Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and must adhere to the modified occupancy of the space. You must wear a mask and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from others when indoors and around those with whom you do not share a living space.
• Outdoor events are limited to 30 people and do not require masks or physical distancing. Outdoor events involving more than 30 people must be registered and approved.

The Office of Admissions suspended all visit programs and visits to campus in the spring of 2020, instead providing admitted students with other opportunities to experience Carleton. Changes to in-person experiences are expected in the summer of 2021.

The State of Minnesota continues to urge people not to travel out of state. Carleton also urges employees to be judicious in making travel plans, and to try to avoid all nonessential personal travel. If you elect to travel out of state, please stay current with the evolving recommendations and guidance from the state and the CDC, and—if you are not yet fully vaccinated—get tested for COVID-19 upon your return. Self-administered saliva tests are available for employees to pick up from Security Services as needed.

If a ticket credit is issued instead of a refund, you should use that credit for future College-approved travel. If you wish to use the credit for personal travel, you may do so and reimburse the College for the portion of the new ticket that was covered by the credit. The cardholder should document the credit on their credit card statement.

No, all interviews are being conducted virtually. Rare exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis by the divisional vice president, in consultation with Human Resources.

We have continued to study and optimize campus ventilation systems to maximize fresh air intake, install the highest quality filters that the systems will tolerate, and to supplement this with some stand-alone filtration units as well as bipolar ionization, which releases charged atoms that attach to and deactivate virus particles. Every air handler on campus has been cleaned and checked to ensure proper operation of the dampers and motors for air flow, as well as proper fitting of filters. We are also ensuring that campus spaces have access to fresh air either through a window or a central HVAC system. Additional information can be found in the Facilities Operation and Impact document on the Resources and Training page of this website.

Campus restrooms are disinfected daily by custodial staff, and disinfecting wipes are available for individual use as needed. All restrooms have been evaluated to accommodate physical distancing, and modified occupancies will be posted as applicable. Additional information can be found on the Resources and Training page of this website.

Please visit the dining services website for updated dining hours. 

Campus food handlers are specifically trained in proper safety and hygiene procedures. All Bon Appétit staff members completed special COVID-19 training and follow all federal and state-level regulations. Additionally:

• All diners are required to wash or sanitize their hands before entering food service.
• Pre-work temperature checks and a health survey are being done for all dining managers and employees.
• All dining staff members are wearing masks and gloves during service periods, when in contact with students, and as their jobs safely allow.
• All meals are available to go.
• Staff are disinfecting throughout each meal period.
• Staff are changing service utensils every 20 minutes.
• There are limited self-service options in accordance with guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health.
• Seating arrangements in the dining hall have been adjusted to support physical-distancing guidelines.
• All diners are invited to swipe their own card.

Exterior doors on all campus buildings are locked. Faculty, staff and students will need to utilize their OneCard to gain access. Faculty and staff have 24/7 access to the building where their office is located. Students have 24/7 access to their residential hall or residence.